Getting stuck in Bangalore’s interminable traffic jams has its uses as I discovered over the weekend. I didn’t take my camera or I’d have attached a picture with this post.

After the traffic signal just after the Vellara Junction is yet another signal. To my left, I saw a huge hoarding with wordings to this effect: The Truth about Attacks on Indian Christians. This was followed by an announcement of some gathering scheduled on a date I now forget. This event is organized by some Christian body (whose name I forget again, damn!) and led unsurprisingly by this man.

The gathering is both aimed at protesting the “atrocities” against “Christian minorities” in Kandhamal and to present the “truth” (sic) about Indian Christians. That the retired super-cop, H.T. Sangliana leads this shouldn’t be surprising. His impeccable professional record was enough to catch the fancy of Kannada filmmakers–they made three movies titled with his name: Sangliana, S.P. Sangliana Part 2, and S.P. Sangliana Part 3.

Whatever his success as a cop, reports show that he didn’t rise above religious partisanship.

Dharam Singh’s predecessor, SM Krishna, patronized HT Sangliana,Director General of Police (Prisons), who openly supports missionaries.A 1969-batch IAS officer from Meghalaya, Sangliana became famous in November 2001 when he ordered the arrest of Hindu activists protesting against mass conversions in Doddabalapur (Bangalore Rural).

The same news report also tells us that he makes no bones about actively executing God’s Mission he feels he is entrusted with.

Sangliana and some senior police officers openly lecture on the Bible at Bible College of India, Bangalore, at weekends. While this is by no means a contraband activity, one does wonder if the State administration’s tolerance of this display of religious freedom would extend to a Hindu officer indulging in weekly Ram kathas. Even if not openly victimised, such an officer would be sidelined and derided as a bit of a ’crank.’ Sangliana however, suffers no such disability; he openly sided with missionaries when the Ma Bhagavati temple in Devanahalli (Bangalore Rural) and Sri Durgamba Temple in Banaswadi(Bangalore) were demolished and churches erected in their place in 2002. In both cases, the Chief Minister and important Congress leaders supported the evangelicals. It is hardly surprising to learn,therefore, that as many as 84 Churches have sprung up in this area in just the last two years.

Sangliana’s record has a rich history of political intrigue. He was known only as a supercop until S.M.Krishna bestowed the Commissionership of Bangalore on him. As the top cop, his first duty was to

…keep track on all the Hindu organizations. He was given a free hand by the previous Chief Minister of Karnataka S.M. Krishna and few of his cabinet colleagues.

The free “Congress” hand is again entirely consistent with the Congress brand of politics, now dangerously dictated by Sonia Gandhi who just about disguises her affinity to the Church. Would a mere Chief Minister dare to go against the Super Prime Minister? Did Sangliana become Commissioner because Krishna decided it? Or was it the result of a phone call from the Super PM? Whatever, you must admire how seriously he took his job of ensuring law and order, and maintaining religious harmony in the city.

In another Instance, Sangliana stood and supported the Church people,when they were involved in demolishing of Maa Bhagavathi temple in Devanahalli (Bangalore Rural) and Sri Durgamba Temple in Banaswadi (Bangalore) in 2002. In both the cases the temples were demolished for construction of Churches despite strong protest by various Hindu Organisations other than R.S.S. The Protestors had failed as they had no alternative left because the church members were supported by the Chief Minister himself and two of his cabinet colleagues T.JOHN(Infrastructure Minister) & J.ALEXANDER (Bharthinagar M.L.A) and…VYALAR RAVI (A.I.C.C KARNATAKA),…The Hindu community people have been the target of Sangliana evenduring the celebrations of any of the Hindu Festival or any NationalCelebration. The DGP was strict with Hindu people; he drafted a timeframe for celebrations of Ganesh Chathurthi and other Hindu Festivals.In fact, since the last year he has banned the use of traditionalfire-crackers during Diwali celebrations.

Sangliana ostensibly is a BJP MP, a first-time MP at that. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he stunned everybody by defeating the indefatigable Jaffer Sharief. Whatever the BJP’s reasons for inducting Sangliana, the ex-cop’s reasons for joining the “communal party” are interesting:

A retired Presbyterian police chief recently elected to India’s parliament as legislator for the Hindu nationalist BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has declared that he aims to convert the party into a secular group.

“When I joined the BJP, my Christian friends were angry charging me’why are you joining a communal party?’” Hmar Tlomte Sangliana, elected to the parliament from southern Karnataka state, told a gathering of Christian activists and church leaders in New Delhi after his election.

“Unless one tries to change from inside, nothing will happen. That’s why I accepted the invitation to join the BJP,” explained Sangliana

Around the same time, sections of the local media reported that Sangliana aimed to change the BJP from “Bharatiya Janata Party” to Bharatiya Jesus Party. I recall this report had led to public outrage. Sangliana quickly resorted to the oldest trick, claiming that he was “misquoted.” Really?

In an interview, Sangliana told Ecumenical News International: “We need nothing but power to do anything. The media and the voters were projecting the BJP’s chances positively and so I accepted their invitation.”

Asked whether he felt disappointed after the BJP was thrown out of power in the elections, Sangliana - a lay preacher in the Presbyterian church - replied: “It was God’s way of humbling the BJP for its actions and policies.” [...] “I pray for BJP that it becomes more secular for the good of Christians. I will be happy when I can proclaim the name of Jesus proudly in the Indian parliament,”

Do we retain any doubt about this man’s sincere zeal? Or what will be presented in the name of “truth” about Kandhamal?

Postscript: The truth about Kandhamal.